1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relate to an image forming device, and more particularly to an image forming device having an internal space between a scanner unit and an image forming unit for accommodating a discharge image holding member, such as a copy paper.
2. Discussion of the Background
Recently, due to a strong demand for machines that quickly make a first copy, image forming devices have been developed that use a vertical paper transportation path, i.e. in a upward or downward direction in this image forming device, and narrows a width of the transportation path.
Also, as presently recognized reducing the requisite tabletop space (i.e., device footprint) and height for accommodating an image forming device is desired in a modern office setting and thus a market demand for small image forming devices continues to increase.
Nevertheless, if it is attempted to accommodate a large size copy paper, such as a A3 size or a double letter size paper, within a discharge paper stack unit that is attached to a side of a main body of the image forming device, there is a limitation in making the width of the main body of the image forming device smaller. Moreover, the addition of the paper stack unit increases the tabletop space (or floor space) required to host the device.
In order to make the width of the main body of the image forming device smaller, some image forming devices form, instead of attaching a discharged paper stack unit to the side of the main body of the device, a space between an image forming unit and a scanner unit so that the copy paper that is conveyed through a transportation path of the image forming unit and is outputted to this space.
In an image forming device in which the copy paper is discharged to a space between the image forming unit and the scanner unit, two adjoining sides of the four sides of the scanner unit are connected to the main body of the image forming device and the scanner unit is supported by eaves-shaped members above the space. In other words, the remaining two sides of the four sides of the scanner unit are not connected to the main body of the image forming device. The reason for supporting the scanner unit with the eaves-shaped members is for making the width of the space smaller and thereby the size of the device is made small. Namely, instead of making the width of the space of sufficient size to accommodate a large size copy paper completely in the space, and for making the size of the device small, the width of the space is made to a minimum so that a large copy paper can be accommodated without any trouble.
However, as described above, only two adjoining sides out of the four sides of the scanner unit are connected to the main body of the device, and as a result, the scanner unit is supported in a rather unstable condition. The instability causes the contact glass (or platen) to warp under its own weight and consequently, when an image is formed by scanning an original document on the scanner unit, the resulting image is skewed or deformed.